


John, alone

by Toinette93



Series: An Entity, some spaceships, Paris and Queen: a post-apocalyptic utopia AU [2]
Category: Queen (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Angst, Gen, John Deacon is an engineer, John is a bad-ass, Mystery, Works as a standalone, hibernation pods, past Queen, queen in space, who also plays base in space
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-01
Updated: 2020-03-04
Packaged: 2021-02-28 00:56:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,113
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22975138
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Toinette93/pseuds/Toinette93
Summary: On the spaceship Lullaby, taking over 60 000 humans away from a doomed  planet Earth, there is a major malfunction.John is one of the passengers, asleep in suspended animationHe is also an engineer. And the ship needs him.
Series: An Entity, some spaceships, Paris and Queen: a post-apocalyptic utopia AU [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1646902
Kudos: 11





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello people,  
> This is part 2 of this postapocalyptic AU thing,also this also works as a standalone.  
> This is the beginning of one of this AU's main storyline. And I had a bit of fun with the storytelling in this one, hope you enjoy ! Don't hesitate to comment, say what you thought about it.  
> Cheers

Vessel AXZ 72 “The Lullaby”. En route to Tau Ceti 3 to Earth Mission control.

Day 234 from Earth departure

Computer log.

Hibernation systems functioning. Passenger complement of 60 234. No deaths registered.

Time to destination 10 years, 2 month, 3 days.

Memory banks, functioning.

Small course correction implemented. No known anomaly to explain course change. Further checks will be made.

Message sent. Over and out.

Vessel AXZ 72 “The Lullaby”. En route to Tau Ceti 3 to Earth Mission control.

Day 279 from Earth departure

Computer log.

Hibernation systems online. Some disturbances registered in deck B.5. Error corrected. Passenger complement of 60 233. One death. Cause unknown.

Memory banks, functioning.

No explanation yet for previous course change. Necessity for frequent corrections. Fuel sufficient for reaching destination.

Message sent. Over and out.

Vessel AXZ 72 “The Lullaby”. En route to Tau Ceti 3 to Earth Mission control.

Day 282 from Earth departure

Computer log.

Hibernation systems online. No further death registered. Activity levels in deck B-5 still abnormal. Passenger complement of 60 233.

Memory banks, functioning.

Signs of engine malfunction. Unable to compensate. Abnormal wave resonance detected.

Decision: waking up emergency personnel. Activation of life-support area.

Message sent. Over and out.

Vessel AXZ 72 “The Lullaby”. En route to Tau Ceti 3 to Earth Mission control.

Day 283 from Earth departure

Computer log.

Waking-up of emergency personnel attempted. Wake-up unit of the hibernation systems compromised. Unable to correct malfunction. Five deaths registered. Passenger complement of 60 227.

Probability of mission completion below 50%.

Waking-up of B-Crew of emergency personnel. Critical failure. 4 dead. Passenger complement 60 223. One survivor of B-Crew waking-up appropriately in the life-supported section of the vessel.

Personnel selected: DEACON, John. Specialty: Electrical Engineering.

No further attempt to wake-up additional personnel at this time.

Message sent. Over and out.


	2. Chapter 2

John woke up to the screeching sound of an alarm. “Major malfunction. Engineering personnel to damage control stations. I repeat. Major malfunction...”

Awareness was coming back slowly. Where was he. And why was the alarm blaring. And wasn’t he supposed to be engineering personnel?

It seemed like he could move his hands. And his feet. And not much else in between as of yet. He did not have any strength. He remembered. He was waking up from cryogenic hibernation. And if the alarms were correct, not at destination. He must still be in space. He was still in the tank, but elevated over the water, and apparently not in the hibernation bay. Living quarters then. But he could not see or hear anyone. He was not supposed to be first-awaken crew. He should not have been alone. In front of him, the small screen was telling him that life support was working. But not much else was. There was a major engine malfunction.

Apparently something was very wrong because he still appeared to be alone. Well if that was how it was, he needed, to try and do something about the engines. He hoped the problem was electrical in nature, because he was not the appropriate choice if there was a mechanical failure.

He got the oxygen mask out, and slowly sat up. He was dizzy, an expected part of the waking-up process, but still quite uncomfortable. He followed the emergency protocols his training had mercilessly drilled into him on Earth. He did not think he would have ever needed it but he still knew what to do, even in the half-conscious state he was currently finding himself in. He took the appropriate readings from the medical scanner that was set next to the tank, that told him his body was reacting fine to the fast wake-up that had been forced on his system. He punched himself with the shot that was given to him by the computer, and that would expedite his body’s jumpstart. Not ideal for long-time health, but if the data that were now flowing on his screen were right, a concern for long-time consequences was a luxury he might not have for long.

The adrenaline pumping in his veins made his chest hurt and his jaw contract, his stomach had been empty for month and yet he felt nauseous. Waiting for his limb to work again, he could not help but think that emergency wake-up from hibernation felt surprisingly like the last few minutes before getting onstage. He found himself wishing for the comfort of some alcohol. Then finally, his legs were responding again, and he managed to get up, slightly wobbly on his feet. Holding the wall on his left, he made his way to the computer console. The first thing he did when he got there was to shut down the computer alarm.

He looked at the last computer logs, and then at the readings. Nine dead. The whole alpha emergency team and four of his own beta team. He looked around and could not see any other pods. He was thankful for that at least. He had no wish to share his living space with corpses. Nine people dead from the emergency crews. Two more before that. No explanation on the ship logs except the mention of a critical malfunction, no particular reason why he had survived. He shuddered at the thought. He had not known the people of his team very well but he had trained a few times with them before departure. Joanna, Alana, Mohammed and Ai-Bao. And he could not remember the names of those of the alpha crew.

Now was not the time to think about this. He asked the computer for a full diagnostics of all its systems. Because what it was telling him now, that there were unexpected problems in hibernation, engines and navigation that had no apparent cause. Did not make any sense. No collision registered. Just some abnormal and very odd looking readings from deck B-5, one of the hibernation decks, unusually high electrical activity in systems that should have only been working on a constant low level. And some reports of sound-waves in the computer core. Not registered so he could not listen to them. The only thing the wavelength pattern told him was that it was in the audible range for humans.

The diagnostics came out while John was slowly starting to eat something to get his digestive system working again. The silence in the living area of the ship was unnerving, and the ping of the computer signalling the completion of the diagnostics was welcome, getting John’s mind off of his impending loneliness and possible death should he fail. He looked at the result. Now that’s were the engine damage was coming from. He was lucky. It was apparently electrical damage. Something he had a good idea how to fix. It was the first priority Then he would tackle navigations. He had to get the ship back on course. Then he’d see if he could get it back on automatic control. Or alternatively manage to wake-up some of the people of the third crew, the last emergency resort on this ship before having recourse to untrained personnel. Still a bit unsteady on his feet, but lacking time to get better – every minute got them further away off-course, and the amount of available fuel was limited he put on the protective gear and made his way to the engine room.


	3. Chapter 3

Vessel AXZ 72 “The Lullaby”. En route to Tau Ceti 3 to Earth Mission control.

Day 284 from Earth departure

Computer log

Passenger complement 60 223

Back on course, engines back to full power. Navigational system’s repair in progress. Currently functioning with manual course correction.

Unusual activity still recorded in deck B-5

Attached: engineering technical report.

Engineer John DEACON’s log following.

“So erm, this is John Deacon, Engineer, the erm, only surviving member of beta emergency crew speaking. I have gone to the engine room, and managed to get the engines, well working again. I am forwarding all the necessary technical reports. I’m not sure I understand what caused the malfunction. There was nothing, broken, really. Part of the engine’s electrical grid just shut itself off. Probably from the interference on B5. I, err, rerouted some electrical lines to isolate the engine from that deck as much as possible. Navigation is a bit trickier. I can’t quite figure out what is wrong with it exactly. I’ll just have to keep on making course corrections. But we are back on course for now. I’ll try and investigate the disturbances in B-5 next. It’s still there, from time to time, without any discernible pattern to it. I don’t dare try to wake anyone else before this is settled. So I’ll just stay awake on my own until then, I guess. So, erm, end log, Deacon out.”

Message sent. Over and out.

John sent the message and closed down the computer terminal. He passed a hand on his face and in his hair. They felt dirty after over seven months in a hibernation tank, damp and gooey at the same time. He was tired but knew that the chemicals used in emergency wake-up from hibernation would prevent him from falling asleep for a few hours more.

He felt… he was not quite sure he knew how he felt, really. The prospect of spending the next ten years of his life all alone, in these now overly spacious quarters, meant for five people, four of whom were now dead, keeping a ship on course, was looming in front of him. He truly did not know that he could repair the hibernation system to wake up anyone before they got to their destination and the atmospheric system turned itself on. And he did not think he had the computer knowledge needed to fix the navigation system on his own. He’d try to learn, but did not think the resources of the ship would be enough. He had to try and understand what had happened on B-5, try to stop it from wrecking havoc on the ship again.

Ten years was an awfully long time to spend alone. He had no idea how he could stay sane that long. He was not exactly a model of mental equilibrium to begin with. It showed how desperate they had really gotten that he had this role on the emergency crew at all, even the beta one. Although he would admit to a great deal of experience in complicated team work. Witnessing and participating in his three former bandmate’s argument had truly prepared him for a lot. For all the good it would do him now.

But he could not fail. Could not afford to grow mad, at least not inefficiently mad. There were over 60 000 people on that ship, depending on him. Amongst which his wife and children. As well as Brian’s girlfriend, Anita. Probably a few women Roger had had sex with, not that that was particularly unusual. And what was most likely, although not quite certainly, Freddie’s corpse.

He had been dying when they had put him in the tank. Had no way to know if he had survived the process. They would not know before they got him out of stasis if it had worked or not. Damn Brian for having this idea to turn Freddie into an iteration of Schrödinger’s proverbial cat. Bloody physicist. Although Freddie would probably have appreciated the cat part of the whole charade. Damn Roger and his questionable medical skills for having put the plan into action. And damn himself for running along with it and getting the stasis tank to work. Freddie was almost certainly dead in there. And even if he wasn’t his chances of surviving waking up were slim. But the slither of hope made it so much worse.

He stopped himself from this line of thought. Now, thinking about that was clearly not the way to stay sane. The silence in the ship was really getting to him. He’d have to figure out how to listen to music and other things. For now, playing it would have to be enough. He went back to his tank, which was still where he had left it. He crouched under it and opened the compartment that contained the entirety of what the had been allowed to bring from Earth. There was a picture of him with his family. A few things his kids had given him over the year. And his precision bass, with his homemade amp, taking most of the space. He got it out, plugged it in, and started to play. It had been a while. Years, really, but for some reason it now seemed like the right thing to do. And his hands had not forgotten the stops.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, people,  
> And this is it for the introduction to this other storyline. What do you people think?   
> Thanks for those who read this and gave kudos  
> Cheers !


End file.
